


Skyward Saga

by LadyNightingGaleofMilvania



Series: Legend of Vinland [1]
Category: Vinland Saga (Manga)
Genre: Camping, Cooking Canute, I declare this CANON, I’m knee-deep in Norse mythology, Legend of Zelda AU, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Praying Canute Prays, Ragnar is Canute’s Dad, Screw Sweyn, So I hope you like references, Stolen kisses by firelight, This AU is gonna be filled to the brim, Why are Thorfinn and Canute so adorable together?, skyward sword au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:15:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21559945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania/pseuds/LadyNightingGaleofMilvania
Summary: It's a Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword AU!
Relationships: Canute/Thorfinn (Vinland Saga)
Series: Legend of Vinland [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590856
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

_ Long ago there was a great battle waged for the land. It raged ceaselessly for many days and nights, causing the air to turn to smoke, rain to ash, water to blood, and earth to graves. Demise, determined to reign over all, declared his war, naming it Ragnarok much to the fear of the people who defended their homes and the Goddess Freya and her brother Freyr. _

_ Demise sought their eternal power over the people that served them, not sated by what he himself already possessed, closing in on the ethereal siblings as they tried with their might to defend what they held dear, an ability like no other: The power to change reality and mold it into whatever the caster most desired. _

_ When all hope had thought to be lost, Freya and Freyr sacrificed themselves, disappearing from the land and taking this immeasurable power with it, all to keep it from the defiled hands of Demise. With this final act, they summoned every last human and thrust the earth upon which they stood into the heavens high enough that one could almost see the mighty Valhalla. _

_ With that, the enormous power faded, sealing Demise and his minions of Ragnarok with him, and peace was restored to the lands below… or so the legends have foretold unto to this day… _


	2. Wing Ceremony

_ Thorfinn was running, sweat causing his nightclothes to stick to his skin as through held by glue. Something… something was coming… coming for him… coming for… coming… _

The touch of a hand jerked him awake, his heart pounding like a hammer in his chest, threatening to escape its confines. He almost didn’t register Canute in his lengthened pink tunic, the garment reaching so far down that it could even be called a dress, the man giggling and… somehow incredibly taller? Thorfinn blinked, adrenaline still pouring through his veins as he looked around, propping himself up with an elbow and realizing why Canute was laughing at him… He had tossed and turned himself straight onto the floor without waking up it seemed, and even slept through his Loftwing crowing from the window.

“You look a mess,” Canute laughed softly, covering his mouth with a hand, “Hurry up Thorfinn, or you’ll be late!”

Late? Thorfinn wondered to himself, the weak clutches of sleep grasping at him now that he was beginning to calm down, along with… some odd voice whispering words that he couldn’t understand, words that tickled the back of his mind like something important that you know better than to forget.

Like the Wing Ceremony…  _ shit _ …

Thorfinn quickly peeled off his damp clothes and tossed them into a corner of the room to be dealt with later, pulling on his Wing Ceremony garb as he sped out the door, heedless as to whether or not it had shut behind him as he ascended the stairs.

“Thorfinn, wait!” Canute called from behind him, causing Thorfinn to turn around, “It’s not time for the ceremony yet, don’t worry. You were almost late for the meeting you promised me before it. I knew you wouldn’t wake up in time, you’re always sleeping in.”

Thorfinn felt a blush creep onto his face as he realized how foolish he had been. Of course it wasn’t time for the Wing Ceremony yet, Canute wouldn’t be so mean as to wait until the last minute to rouse him for that. The other man hooked an arm around Thorfinn’s own, smiling down at him.

“C’mon, I have something I want to show you,” Canute whispered as the arm descended and they were holding hands, Canute tugging Thorfinn as he led to way.

They followed the hallway out, crossing a bridge and climbing yet more stairs to stand in from of the twin statues of the Goddess Freya and her brother Freyr. They were towering, reaching so high that one could barely see their faces, though they had eroded with time and lost some of their grace and beauty. Before the statues stood Ragnar, praying to the twins for guidance and safety for the ceremony that was to be held later. From the belt at his hip, Canute unhooked a lyre that he kept with him always─Thorfinn would often sneak silently within earshot of Canute when he would practice, finding the melodies played by the strings often calming─and began to play, the sound accompanying his father’s spoken prayer like a song.

“Good morning you two,” Ragnar greeted once he was done, pushing himself up with a grunt to stand, “Come to pray to Freya and Freyr before the Wing Ceremony for luck, have you?”

Canute nodded with a smile, “Of course, father. I would hate to find that any of our riders were to have fallen from their Loftwings!”

Ragnar embraced his son with a sigh, “I hate to ask you to take the role that Harold was to play beside you, but your brother is to patrol the skies tonight with Ylva and the others and is fast asleep in his bed. You’re stepping up into a large role Canute, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Thorfinn looked at the ground, realizing that he had a stain on his clothes near the bottom of his breeches, made a mental note to wash them later in the day after the Wing Ceremony had ended. He wandered closer to the twins Freya and Freyr, touching the base pedestal and looking at their distant faces. How long had it been since their images had been invoked, carved into the stone that made them? How many centuries since they walked beside those that worshipped them? Canute’s gentle had on his shoulder made him turn around, Thorfinn finally taking him in after the chaos that had been their morning thus far.

Canute’s dress─because Thorfinn honestly considered it such an item─was silken, flowing around him as though it were made of water that had set itself to dance around his form. Looking upward toward the other man’s face, Thorfinn noticed that Canute had changed the style in which he wore his hair, swapping out his usual hair-down look for a series of braids that clung close to his head on the sides, a large braid sitting atop his skull and trailing downwards to meet the smaller braids, which occasionally intermingled with each other in a complicated pattern. If he hadn’t known any better, Thorfinn could have almost sworn that Canute was the living image of both Freya and Freyr themselves.

“What do you think?” Canute asked, spinning to show off how he looked, “I had to get up extra early to make sure I had done the braids right. It was really tricky to get them even in the back on my own.”

“You look good,” Thorfinn admitted honestly.

Canute grinned, a light dusting of pink appearing on his cheeks, “Well I guess I really shouldn’t keep you since the Ceremony will start soon, but know I’ll be rooting for you. I hope to see you afterward in the champions spot!”

Canute walked away, grin still stuck on his face as Thorfinn took one last look at the statue. With a deep, steadying breath he began the walk to find his Loftwing so that he could make sure everything was ready.

*****

Thorfinn had decided to take the long way to his Loftwing, knowing that she often preferred to lounge on the far side of the second island, and walked his way to the town square, finding himself face to face with Full Eyes and his two friends. Full Eyes was bragging about how he would win the Ceremony’s race and impress Canute, running a hand through his pompadour in an effort to keep it slicked back. His two companions agreed endlessly, going on about how handsome and strong he was, how lucky Canute would be to have a man like him, that maybe this would be enough for Canute to fall for Full Eyes even! It caused Thorfinn to snort, thinking the whole discussion between the three ridiculous, even as they turned and Full Eyes stood to his full height, towering over Thorfin in an attempt to intimidate him.

“Do you think something’s funny?” Full Eyes demanded.

“Maybe he thinks he’ll win today, that thought is pretty funny!” chortled one.

“Or maybe he’s thinking about cheating his way into victory!” snickered the other.

“Maybe if you ask me  _ real nice _ I’ll go easy on you,” Full Eyes mocked, waving a hand dismissively at Thorfinn.

“Good one, Thorfinn,” the second person snickered, causing Full Eyes to round on him quickly.

“ _ Never _ call me that,” he warned under his breath, jabbing a finger into the other man’s chest and causing him to take a step back, “It’s bad enough that I share a name with him, I don’t want to be associated with the name too.”

Seeing him nod rapidly in response, Full Eyes turned back around, a smile again plastered on his face.

“It doesn’t matter, though,” he continued as though nothing had happened, “Even if he got on hands and knees to beg me I would just let him win. He’d be lucky to place second!”

“Oh really?”

The four turned to look at the new speaker, finding Canute standing with hands on hips and an angry look pointed at Full Eyes.

“As I recall Ylva had to catch you the other day when you fell from your Loftwing trying to practice,” Canute announced, much to Full Eyes’ embarrassment.

He marched in front of Thorfinn, whose eyes had gone wide from surprise, and poked Full Eyes determinedly in the chest.

“I-I-I… h-how did you─” Ful Eyes sputtered, only to be cut off.

“You’ve been jealous ever since Thorfinn’s Loftwing came to him and we all saw its reddened feathers!” Canute continued, jabbing his finger continuously into Full Eyes’ chest again and again, “How about you find something better to do in your spare time?”

“Fine, whatever, I guess. I gotta go tend to my Loftwing, anyway. C’mon guys,” Full Eye’s grunted as he turned and walked away.

“You ok, Thorfinn?” Canute asked, looking to him.

“Yeah, I’m alright.”

“Good, then how about we fly a little bit to stretch out your girl’s wings before the race?”

Thorfinn allowed a small smile to crawl onto his face as he nodded. He and Canute hadn’t flown together in months, their schedules always at odds. It was something he genuinely enjoyed and looked forward to back when it was more common. They wandered over the Eterna River, the waters blessed by Freya and Freyr to forever be full, and spotted his Loftwing grooming her feathers as they climbed the hill and approached.

“Hey Mama, ready for the Wing Ceremony today?” Thorfinn asked, patting the bulk of his Loftwing’s side as she crowed happily in response, knocking him over as she nuzzled him with her long, large beak.

Canute placed his fingers into his mouth and let out a quick, high-pitched whistle to call his own Loftwing an amethyst-colored bird whose feathers seemed to shine in the sunlight. As the two mounted their Loftwings─the birds themselves then walking to the edge in preparation to take off─Canute’s head whipped around suddenly, eyes alert as though someone had called for him.

“Did you hear that?” Canute asked, eyes scanning the land.

“Hear what?” Thorfinn wondered, looking at Canute in confusion.

“Mmmm, never mind then, must have been the wind,” Canute replied, tying a long piece of cloth tightly to his head so he could protect his braids.

With that the two took off, deciding while in the air to stick to the main island. Thorfinn took a deep breath in, savoring the smell. He always thought that the air above Skyloft smelled cleaner, fresher than the air closer to their chunk of earth they called home. He had heard stories when he was little of a place below the clouds, marvelous tales of trees that reached Valhalla and things called  _ oceans _ ─which held so much water that you couldn’t see the land opposite of you─and  _ deserts _ ─similar to  _ oceans _ , but instead of water it was sand, like the kind you would find on the shores of the Eterna River. Before long the two landed, invigorated by their brief flight, and just in time for the Ceremony to begin.

Canute bid Thorfinn farewell, removing the fabric from his head to reveal that there wasn’t a strand of hair out of place. Turning, Thorfinn came face-to-face with Full Eyes, bumping into him and falling backward onto the ground.

“You can barely stay on your feet, how do you expect to keep on your Loftwing?” Full Eyes laughed.

Thorfinn said nothing, staring hard at Full Eyes for a moment before dismissing his anger. He wasn’t worth disqualifying over, not at all. He got back to his feet, dusting himself off wordlessly. The two behind Full Eyes looked at each other before he continued.

“Well,  _ I’m _ certainly excited to earn the sailcloth that Canute made himself,” Full Eyes continued, getting riled at Thorfinn’s silence.

“I see you’ve all managed to make it here,” Ragnar said watching them all and raising a brow at Full Eyes before motioning to Thors, “Thors if you would kindly…”

“Yes, thank you,” Thors said, stepping forward slightly and looked at the four in front of him, “Today we’ll see how much you’ve grown and if you are ready to graduate,” at this Thors let out two sharp, quick whistles, causing a smaller golden Loftwing to descend, “I will release this young Loftwing into the air and one of you four will catch him. The one who does and brings this back will graduate while the others take the final exams to see if they are fit for duty.”

With this, Thors showed them a small totem attached to a string that was then placed around the Loftwing’s neck. It let out a small and curious noise, trying to get the totem off until Thors distracted him with a treat, the bird happily eating it. He led the Loftwing to the edge of the land before motioning for it to fly, the Loftwing taking off quickly and speeding away as the four watched.

“What are you waiting for?” Thors asked, looking at them pointedly, “Go!”

It took just one simple moment for that last word to click before they scrambled to fling themselves off the edge and each whistled quickly for their Loftwings. Thorfinn’s glided beneath him, allowing Thorfinn to find purchase easily as Full Eyes struggled to aline with his own Loftwing further below. With a click of his tongue, Mama─Thorfinn’s Loftwing─sped up, diving to follow the gold bird as it dipped below. He could almost hear Full Eyes and his two other friends yelling something, but the wind ripped it from his ears before he could make out anything, only guessing that it was frustration at already having been left behind.

Thorfinn leaned into each turn his Loftwing would make, clinging close to Mama’s body as she spiraled away from floating rocks or flapped her wings to gain altitude. Eventually, Full Eyes caught up and something flew past Thorfinn’s face. It wasn’t until he caught the shape of the next one that grazed his cheek that he noticed what it was: rocks. Full Eyes and his two pals had taken to cheating in order to win, but he wouldn’t let that stop him. He was going to get that totem, he was going to graduate tonight.

Another spin, this time to avoid one of the tornadoes that would occasionally pop up when flying so far from their small set of islands. It was so close, Thorfinn could just barely graze the totem bird’s feathers, when he felt a solid  **_thwack_ ** against the side of his head, rendering him dazed. His Loftwing slowed, sensing Thorfinn’s injury and trying to keep her rider aloft, Full Eyes taking advantage and darting ahead. What felt like hours though it was barely a handful of seconds, Thorfinn blinked away the fog that had covered his mind, realizing what had happened.

“You won’t get away with that,” Thorfinn bit out, gritting his teeth as he nudged Mama to fly fast.

By the time Thorfinn caught up he saw the Full Eyes nearly had his hands on the totem, his equal to the rear in distance. Thorfinn closed his eyes and took in a steadying breath, letting it out slowly as he leaned into the body of his Loftwing, feeling her powerful muscles tense and relax as she flapped her wings. He imagined them zipping through the air, almost cutting through it so that they could reach the totem, and when he opened his eyes all he could see was the totem itself.

“Leaves on the wind, Mama,” Thorfinn whispered to his Loftwing, getting a steadier grip as her wings began to beat faster as they ascended higher and higher, intending to fly sharply downward and gain speed as they did, “Let’s soar.”

With that they dove, shooting through the air like an arrow released from its bowstring. The distance was nothing, the air between them and the golden bird ahead was nothing. Within seconds Thorfinn had caught up, managing to nab the totem just before Full Eyes’ hands grasped it, earning a yell of rage as Thorfinn and his Loftwing turned in a wide arc on their way back to the islands with victory in hand.


	3. Voices of the Night

Thorfinn smirked as the figures of Ragnar and his father Thors came into view, Canute having joined the other two in standing by the edge and waiting for the champion. Canute could be seen jumping up and down, waving his arms as though to encourage landing before he ran off the edge. Thorfinn could see his hair whip wildly as he fell, pulling it from the meticulous braiding.

“Canute!” Thorfinn yelled, nudging Mama into a faster speed so as to catch the falling man.

“I knew you would win!” Canute cheered once he was safely in Thorfinn’s arms, wrapping his own around the other’s neck in an eager embrace.

“So you jumped off the edge of the island?” asked Thorfinn in disbelief, his Loftwing bringing them upward.

“We need to go to the statues,” Canute pointed, still grinning.

Canute’s Loftwing was not far behind, trailing after the two as they made way to the twin statues nearby. As Thorfinn’s Loftwing landed he could see why Canute had been missing from the ceremony’s start. There was a pallet of blankets, along with a fire nearby to the statues with a pot of food simmering away on the open flame. The ceremony after the race had always been shrouded in secrecy, the only thing everyone knew was that it involved the Champion and the two who stood in for Freya and Freyr. This year, since Harold had been unable to get out of his night patrol, it would just be Canute and himself. The thought almost made Thorfinn blush, feeling his face heat slightly just imagining Canute framed by the glow of firelight as the stars would twinkle overhead like jewels scattered across the sky. The sun had just begun to set as Canute put his hands together, whispering for a moment almost to himself before grabbing his lyre and plucking away on the strings.

Canute’s lyre truly was a beautiful thing seemingly crafted by the Aesir themselves and Thorfinn couldn’t help but openly admire it whenever he could manage the chance. It was made from the wood of a walnut tree, the figures crisp and clear, while the wood remained resilient through the years of use it had no doubt weathered. Starting at the bottom two sides and reaching all the way to the first outermost strings were the carved images of both Freya and Freyr, reaching upward as though to grasp the strings and play the instrument themselves. Their images were highlighted with gold filigree that lined each ripple of their clothing, as though to chase away the shadows. A line of small jewels─diamonds─snaked their way up the front arms of both Freya and Freyr, with the foremost fingertip ending the trail, fingers reaching as though to pluck the strings themselves into a melody.

Canute sang a song of protection, the music of his voice soft and gentle while the notes of the strings seemed to wrap everything in a faint, warm glow. The lyrics were a melody based off of a childhood story about their lands being separated from the Surface and hurled skyward with the intent to protect from an evil whose name had long since been forgotten, each chorus building upon the last in a plea to stay hidden from the nameless demon and live in the continuous peace that Freya and Freyr had sacrificed themselves for. Mixing amongst the words was a mysterious voice in the background, at first it seemed as though it were two additional voices─one male, the other female─until they faded out to be replaced by a slightly louder male voice speaking in words that were both foreign and familiar. Thorfinn’s head began to spin as he realized he could make out some of the words, only managing to piece together one full phrase as Canute’s song waned to an ending, the additional male voice becoming nearly muted as Thorfinn caught the last words.  _ Enter the depths below _ breathed the voice across his mind.

“Thorfinn?” Canute asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, while the other sought to find itself upon his cheek one moment and then his forehead the next, “You’re really pale and warm. Perhaps you should lie down?”

“My job─” started Thorfinn before Canute cut him off by wagging a finger at him.

“This area is blessed and has never had so much as a single demon appear in all the years that we’ve existed up here,” Canute said sternly before his face softened with concern, “If you promise to rest now I’ll wake you up when the stew is done.”

Thorfinn debated heavily on whether or not to take up the offer. On the one hand it was true that the area had been blessed with some sort of special protection against the monsters that would roam the land at night, but on the other Thorfinn had a sacred duty to uphold that he needed to uphold. In the end exhaustion won out, Thorfinn wiggling under the covers as sleep pulled him under almost immediately.

***

_ A black figure, surrounded by an endlessly deeper black miasma stood before Thorfinn, its words guttural and dripping with hate and malice. The being’s face remained as out of focus as its body did, the shapes warped by the miasma that surrounded it. The words that fell from unseen lips hung in the air which grew heavier with every syllable that was uttered, filling Thorfinn with a fear that settled deep within his soul. _

_ Suddenly, almost as quickly as the distorted figure appeared before him, it vanished from sight, leaving behind its warbled words that remained heavy in the air and made it nearly impossible to draw breath. Slowly a warmth began to envelop Thorfinn and a golden light started to worm its way into being, gradually chasing away the darkness and, with it, the heavy nature of those evil words that promised some sort of doom, though what kind Thorfinn was unsure. Eventually, another figure stood where the dark one had. The only difference between the two figures, besides the aura of peace from this one versus the aura of darkness and malice of the other, was that this one was far more defined. Their figure was tall, or at least taller than him, only distorted by what Thorfinn guessed was some sort of cloak. When words were spoken this time Thorfinn felt more at peace, something about it promising. Flashes burst forth to his mind though the details were fuzzy. A sword, the dark figure again, an endless sea of green, a battle, the smell of death and blood, and finally a sense of doom, of a journey that would be life or death for all involved, with just one single word floating to the forefront of his mind. _

_ Ragnarok. _

_ The figure spoke, though Thorfinn still couldn’t understand the words still, he just knew that it was important. This unknown language was supposed to guide him, lead him through some sort of event that was important, though he couldn’t understand what exactly it was. The harder Thorfinn tried to understand, the more garbled and confusing the speech became. As the light began to grow brighter and brighter those four words he had heard during Canute’s song flowed within his mind again, and this time Thorfinn knew it was the figure before him that spoke the words. _

_ “Enter the depths below…” _

***

Thorfinn sat up quickly with heaving breaths, looking around wildly until he realized that what he had just gone through was a dream, though it had felt as real as could be and quickly began to fade from his mind. His breathing began to calm and his heartbeat slowed as Thorfinn began to recognize more and more of his surroundings. Canute had his back turned, the sounds of a spoon scraping the bottom of a pot unmistakable, as was the smell wafting in the air. Canute turned around with a smile.

“You woke up just in time, the stew just finished,” he said, offering a filled and steaming bowl to Thorfinn who took it gladly.

Bringing a spoonful of the stew to his mouth, Thorfinn savored the dish, each flavor building upon the last. Canute didn’t cook often, and it was even less often that Thorfinn got to taste whatever was made, but when he did each bite sent you into bliss as your mouth was awash with the taste of perfection. Thorfinn sighed happily as he ate the rest of the stew, setting down the bowl and tilting his head back to see the twinkling stars glittering across the sky. Crickets sang into the night, their chirping the only other noise besides the crackling of the fire or the scrape of silverware against a bowl.

“What?” Canute asked, bringing Thorfinn’s attention to him.

“What?” Thorfinn questioned back.

“Did─did you not say something?”

“Ummm… no?”

Canute stared at Thorfinn for a long moment before setting down his bowl, slowly turning toward the statues as though hypnotized. Something tickled the back of Thorfinn’s mind, not unlike a buzz of a small insect when they would get too close to your ear. The wind whispered words too soft for him to catch, but it was unmistakable: Something was calling to him, and maybe… maybe whatever it was had been calling to Canute too… After a moment Canute turned back as though nothing had happened, ignoring his half-filled bowl as he crawled beside Thorfinn and sat cross-legged on the pallet.

“I hope you’re ready for the extra lessons with Thorkell tomorrow,” he snickered, watching Thorfinn’s eyes widen in a minor amount of terror.

Thorkell was known for being…  _ excentric _ … when it came to fighting, almost taking it a bit too seriously, even though it provided stellar results.

“Not really,” Thorfinn admitted guiltily, “I’d rather just fly on Mama and explore the other skylands.”

Canute chuckled softly, covering his mouth with a hand, “That sounds about right.”

“What do you mean by that?” Thorfinn demanded, squinting at Canute, which only made the other man laugh harder.

“You’ve wanted to explore since we were small,” Canute admitted, unable to hold back a snort of laughter, “I bet you’d fly below the clouds if your Loftwing would descend that far.”

“Nah, there’s nothing down there, anyway,” Thorfinn waved off, standing up, “I’m gonna walk around and stretch my legs, make sure no demons or hostile animals are hanging around too close.”

After a few steps, Canute grabbed Thorfinn’s hand.

“Not gonna leave me behind defenseless, are you?” he asked, cheeks pink.

Thorfinn didn’t reply, his own cheeks burning between the warmth of Canute’s hand and the closeness. A quick walk around the area revealed that nothing was still out of place, not that it was any surprise. As they neared the campfire again Canute stopped, seeming to have something he was trying to say. His mouth opened and closed several times before he shook his head and quickly moved forward, pressing their lips together. Thorfinn could hear his pulse in his ears, head dizzy as though he were drunk from Canute’s lips. When they finally separated Thorfinn was speechless, meanwhile Canute’s eyes widened from embarrassment as he sputtered out a response.

“I-I-I…” he began, fumbling over his words as though the ability to talk left him, “I’m going to pray.”

With that, Canute walked robotically back to the statues and kneeled, Thorfinn turning around and doing much the same with his own duty. They spent most of the night in awkward silence, eventually the two fell asleep beside each other on the pallet curled around each other, Thorfinn assuming a protective arm around Canute who was snuggled tight against his chest.

When Thorfinn awoke the next morning he found Canute softly snoring, grasping at his shirt seemingly in an effort to be close. Thorfinn couldn’t help but admire him, the way Canute’s hair fanned out around him as though were made of sunlight. Quietly getting up, Thorfinn rid the area of the coals from the previous night so that the land around remained spotless. All that was left to do was to gather up the pots and assorted blankets and they would resume their day-to-day, or, in the case of Thorfinn, begin a new one.


End file.
